Someone Must Get Hurt
by Jabbertalky
Summary: Post Game: A happy ending isn't always perfect when someone must get hurt. Snow and Serah are happily married and Lightning is resolved to let them have the dream life it, but happiness is complicated. Primarily Lightning/Snow. Game ending spoilers.
1. Prologue

Someone Must Get Hurt

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is the property of Square Enix. The song "True Loves" and its lyrics are the property of Rufus Wainwright. No profit is being made from the circulation of this story.

"A heart of ice is easily melted

A heart of stone is easily thrown away

It's the true loves that make me want to cry

It's the true loves that make me want to say goodbye

A heart of ice is easily molded

A heart of stone is easily hidden away

It's the true loves that make me want to cry

It's the true loves that make me want to say good bye

So take your true loves down to the river

And I'll watch you here on the corner

And if you need me I'll always be here

A heart of stone never goes anywhere

A heart of stone never goes anywhere"

-_True Loves _by Rufus Wainwright

His lips burned against hers and then subsided to soft, moist skin, like an electric shock. Snow was nothing like his name suggested. Lightning had imagined kissing him would be something different entirely, something that would swallow her up and solve her burning shame at her thoughts about her sister's fiance. It should have made her forget, breathing in Snow, passionate and warming, but it wasn't all-consuming. She could feel his body so close to hers, smell the scent of his skin, taste his lips. He groaned, the sound snaking into her ears.

Lightning closed her eyes and saw Serah.

With a hard shove, she pushed him away, desperate to stop herself before she took the one thing she had ever wanted from her sister. He stumbled but to his credit didn't fall. What he had done hit him just as she was resisting the urge to. His eyes widened and he grasped at air.

"We can't," Lightning said.

"I'm sorry," Snow said. "I didn't mean to, I was thinking about—"

"But you did it," Lightning accused. "I'm not her. I'm not Serah."

"I know that, I wasn't going to say that," Snow said. He held up his hands submissively and Lightning wondered how she looked to him. Ready to take his head off his stupid shoulders?

"Leave me alone," Lightning said. "Forget this happened. It didn't mean anything."

Snow scowled. "It meant something to me, Lightning. I knew who I was..."

"Kissing?" she finished for him. "I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to be that person. Someone would get hurt, but it won't be me."

She spun on her heel and launched herself through the trees, listening as he stomped after her. She knew she was quicker and didn't slow, pushing herself harder and faster. He wasn't a runner like she was, wasn't a flicker of light in the sky. She was a spring wound too tight, needing to release her energy. The sound of pursuit grew softer and softer until only her footfalls in the brush reached her ears.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is the property of Square Enix. No profit is being made from the circulation of this story.

Some One Must Get Hurt  
Chapter 1

"Do you want something to drink?" Serah asked.

Lightning shook her head. Her sister shrugged and poured herself a glass of wine. It was slightly unnerving to watch Serah drink, but Lightning has decided years before that she would stop worrying about her. It was the day she watched Serah get married.

"So how is the monster hunting going?" Serah asked with a lopsided grin.

"It's going...well," Lightning said. "It's amazing how much some people will pay for the cats we catch. I guess it's the latest fad. I've heard that the rich private buyers want to breed them and raise huge ones to walk down the street like dogs. I guess people aren't so afraid of Gran Pulse this year."

"I can't imagine having one of those huge monsters," Serah said. "Snow watched to get a dog. I told him maybe a small one, or a medium one. Of course he wants a 'man's dog.' Something huge."

"Of course," Lightning chuckled. "How is Snow?"

"He's getting a promotion soon," Serah said. Lightning saw an honestly happy smile touch her lips. "They're going to make him a foreman."

"That's good for him, good for both of you," Lightning said. "Who would have thought that lazy ogre would have actually made something of himself?"

Serah laughed at the old joke. Lightning's insults no longer held any weight and hadn't for years. Snow had made good on his promise to take care of Serah, working to buy a house, a car, food, clothes, all of life's necessities and even quite a few of its luxuries. Lightning, perched on the stool of their breakfast nook, knew he was doing well from the state of their house every time she visited. Their kitchen had new marble counters that were cool against her bare arms.

"We were talking about having a baby," Serah said, a hint of a frown touching her normally soft brow. "No luck."

"You didn't tell me that," Lightning said. "How long have you been trying?"

Once upon a time, the news would have aggravated her to no end. The thought of her baby sister having her own baby would have been foreign and terrifying, but the girl Lightning had been had grown up. People had babies all around her, adults, making families. Serah had been an adult in Lightning's eyes for years now and it was a testament to that fact that she accepted it. Not that she wanted to hold it, or touch it, except maybe to hug it when it was old enough not to drool on her. It was just that Serah could have her own baby and Lightning would be happy for her.

"A while," Serah said wistfully.

Lightning frowned. "It'll happen, Serah."

"I hope so," she said. "He always wanted a big family, but we waited, because he wanted to give them everything. Now we have everything--and then some, and no baby. No...it's been a while...but you think it will happen, right?"

"Serah..." Lightning said. Her sister's happy tone had wavered. How long was a while? And why couldn't Lightning fix this for her?

"Hey, why don't you let me make you lunch?" Serah asked.

"Only if you're making lunch for yourself as well," Lightning said. Part of her was extremely relieved at the change of topic but the part that had worried endlessly over her sister, the part she had long since tried to rein in, stirred inside her. Lightning watched Serah begin to putter around the kitchen. Perhaps she was out of her league. She really had no control over giving her sister a baby. The only thing she could do was listen, to be there for Serah. It was the simplest thing she could do but it had always been the hardest not to fix something.

Serah seemed content to forget that she had brought it up as she made sandwiches and they ate them. She promised to take Lightning shopping and do city things that she missed out on in the jungles of Gran Pulse. Lightning cringed at most of it, but tried to do it while her sister was distracted and not looking. It has been impossible to go back to being a soldier after Orphan was destroyed but it had been equally impossible to adapt to a normal day job. Exploring Gran Pulse had been a perfect solution. So many people had been too afraid, but Lightning knew it held her future. Although she and Serah missed each other, it was an easier way to live.

She could keep herself in check if she only saw them once a year, and she would sooner willingly feed herself to ferocious monsters on Gran Pulse than separate her from him.

After lunch, they took tall glasses of lemonade and a bottle of sunscreen out to Serah's deck. Neither of them would ever tan, but Serah would sunburn into a fine imitation of a lobster. Lightning saw her fair share of sun these days, but enjoyed laying in it instead of crawling through the grass under it. Serah read her the newspaper's advertisements for theater shows playing while she was in town. They only did this once a year, but it was more familiar and comfortable than anything they used to do together, even as children.

"We could go see a drama this year," Serah said. "You don't always have to humor me by letting me pick comedies all the time."

Lightning crack one eye open at her beneath her tiny round sunglasses. "Hmm. Well, if you pick a drama."

"You're so unhelpful," Serah accused. "Fine, we should see _The Taming of the Shrew._"

"That's a comedy," Lightning said with a chuckle.

"Hardly," Serah said, her voice laced with slight annoyance. "It has a supposedly happy ending, yes, but what actually happens? They get married. And turned into obedient housewives."

Lightning raised as eyebrow at her, both eyes now open. "I wouldn't have counted on all of that being such a bad thing to someone like you."

The way her sister's eyes flashed made her think that Serah wasn't happy with that remark. She snapped her newspaper shut and threw it on the low table between their lounge chairs, crossing her arms over her chest. Lightning waited patiently, and Serah didn't meet her eyes, fuming about whatever injustice disturbed her so about the play.

"I'm not unhappy," Serah said. "I just think it's sad that they still advertise a comedy about objectifying women as being perfectly funny."

"It's certainly dated, yes," Lightning said. "But you're a housewife yourself."

"I'm just myself," Serah retorted. "I'm not made of glass. Sometimes I just want to do something radical to show that to everyone. You never let me visit you. You always come visit me. Do you think I can't handle Gran Pulse?"

"That's not it at all," Lightning said, surprised. It didn't catch her well enough off-guard to make her tell the truth though. "I know you've asked me a few times over the years," she began carefully, "but I do like coming to see you, Serah."

"That's laughable," Serah scoffed. "You hate all the things we do together. You don't like to shop, you don't like the theater, you don't like coming to the salon, and you don't like my friends. You make fun of them every time we go out with them. All you seem to like is laying out here on the deck and the poker game you have with the boys, and I'm not allowed to come to that."

"I like the theater," Lightning said. "And I like the poker game because I always win back the money I spend shopping."

"You just use it to buy the beer and pizza," Serah said.

"And your friends are kind of spoiled," Lightning continued as if she hadn't heard. "It's not a wonder why I don't get along with them."

"I'm tired of excuses," Serah said. "I want..."

"Serah, what's really wrong?" Lightning asked.

Serah kept her arms crossed, pulling them tighter over her body. It was eating at her but she didn't want to admit it, and perhaps not just to her sister but to herself. Lightning wasn't quite sure that she wanted to know if Serah wasn't sure. She wasn't the best equipped to deal with problems outside of her realm of experience, like problems that plagued Serah's charmed life. Lightning and Snow had, each in turn, worked hard to give her everything she wanted. She was supposed to be happy.

It had taken a long time to forgive herself for pushing her sister away so many times after their parents' deaths. When she believed she was doing it for Serah's own good and protection, it had been easy to be a cold mercenary, a flicker of light in the sky.

"I thought you wanted to stop treating me like a little girl years ago," Serah said. "I get enough of that from Snow now. This is nice, isn't it Light? It's nice being friends."

"Oh, Serah," Lightning said. "It's very nice, it's my favorite thing. My...issues don't have anything to do with protecting you anymore." She fondly leaned over in her chair and smiled and Serah looked at her, puzzled. "I just don't think visiting me where I work is a fun vacation, but maybe we can make a vacation on Gran Pulse. You really haven't seen much outside of Cocoon, I forget that sometimes, I think because it's a different Cocoon now than it was when we were growing up. It's completely changed, you know, I just think of it as a big city, not an oasis."

"Oh," Serah said. "I thought that would be harder."

Lightning chuckled. "I'm not completely unreasonable."

"Sometimes I guess I forget," Serah sighed. "Sorry."

"No, it's alright," Lightning said. She sat back in her chair and closed her eyes again. Serah quietly picked up her lemonade and sipped it. Despite a gnawing feeling growing in her stomach, Lightning found she did want to share a more adventurous side with her sister. Distance made it easy to ignore what she couldn't have for herself these days. She knew a vacation with Serah would be a vacation with Snow as well, just as this one was. He worked most of the time she visited, but he was still there, around every corner of his home, in every nook and cranny. Would it be possible to keep herself in check if she was out in the wild world with him again?

After all the years gone by, she should have been able to still the flutter of her heart and the quickening of her breath when she heard his footsteps in the doorway. The fact that she couldn't kept her away—and brought her back. It wasn't only that she endured tormenting herself to be near Serah, but that she took what she could get for free. The jokes, the laughter, the card games, the glances, it was a poor substitute for what she truly desired, a substitute for what would destroy her sister. Lightning couldn't live without knowing him.

The thought snapped her out of her mind's dangerous wandering and she grabbed her own glass of lemonade. The vacation to Gran Pulse would wait until after hers to Cocoon. She could and would still enjoy Serah's company. With a short glance at her sister from under her sunglasses, Lightning reaffirmed that she could hold on to the moment and not fall through her tangled thoughts until she went mad. Serah was there and beautiful, her cheeks slightly pink. It reminded Lightning of her mother, such a lovely and delicate woman. Serah was everyone's future, a hope for life to continue. Lightning had to marvel at that thought as it occurred to her. Life was precious.

To Be Continued.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is the property of Square Enix. No profit is being made from the circulation of this story.  
Warnings: Spoilers for the game ending.

Someone Must Get Hurt

Chapter 2

Lightning tugged at the laces of her sneakers, twisting them into a double-knotted bow. Serah had bought them as a gift, but she only used them in her jogs around Cocoon. Boots were better suited for Gran Pulse. Snow had come home from work early and a run was the perfect solution to being caught off-guard. It wasn't that her life revolved around him—him and Serah, she reminded herself sternly. Her problem was that it spiraled crazily, in and out of jungles and cities, homes and businesses, friends and adversaries. She ran to escape the feelings of loss and sacrifice, of constant chaos.

She really had to start moving before she drove herself mad. With a glance at the window, Lightning pushed herself off of Serah's porch and fell into a familiar step and rhythm. She knew her feet would carry her to the beach where the sand would give her body a workout that she could feel, if she ran far enough.

Bodhom had been reshaped, like much of Cocoon, thanks to Fang and Vanille. Lightning felt a smile tug at her lips as their faces swam in her mind. She had respected the elder Gran Pulse native and come to see Vanille's hopeful attitude as endearing. It had been eight years, a while to come to terms with everything being a L'Cie had given and taken away. The beach no longer had the same curves, the sand snaking against the water in a new path. Lightning still thought they should have renamed Cocoon, but the appellation still remained the same. In truth, many people had chosen to stay nestled in its safety, despite the majesty that the newly accessible surface world held. It was a shame. Lightning had needed more to feel alive than a safe haven.

She understood why Serah wanted to leave Cocoon. Her sister had never been terribly adventurous, but she had never been afraid of exploring, especially following Lightning's lead. It made her smile again as she thought about it, her feet sinking into the soft, fine sand. Her heart was lighter in many ways. It craved Serah's company more openly and she obeyed it when it told her that she didn't have to protect her little sister, obeyed it when it tried to convince her to spend more time with Serah. Of course, she knew that included Snow as well, which her selfish heart appreciated. She dug her toes deeper into the sand and began to sprint, her arms pumping with the effort.

There had been a handful of chances over the years for her to act. Fortunately, her love for Serah had always won in the end. She didn't try to deny it anymore. She loved him desperately for being things she couldn't be. Lightning envied his optimism and sincerity. She could count the number of times she had felt real conviction strike her on her fingers and have a couple to spare, most of those times revolving around Serah. She really did hold on too tightly to the wrong things.

Running made her see so clearly. The thoughts flying through her head were like fireflies she could collect in a jar and contain, not sparks from a live wire that threatened to electrocute her.

The sun was sinking below the horizon, the sky stained orange to pink. The sea reflected the colors in its waves and ripples. Lightning always kept her eyes down on the water. It wasn't as expansive and unknown as the sky could be, despite its depth. She was almost ready to turn back, but not quite. She slowed to an easy pace once again and used a hand to brush her rose-colored hair out of her eyes. With care not to slip on the wet planks, she hopped onto a small dock and jogged out to the end, her feet still moving in place as she gazed out at the sea.

It was a long time ago, she thought to herself, the forest of Gran Pulse crashing around her memory. Blue eyes fluttered shut. The past is gone.

A cool breeze felt delightful on her warm cheeks. She couldn't be unhappy about the life she led. It was exciting, exactly what she always wanted. It was comfortable too, planned and under control. Sure, she took risks, but Lightning knew that if they didn't pay off, only she was to blame, not some destiny or Focus, some fal'Cie plan. Every footfall belonged to her. She couldn't complain to anyone, for she had designed every facet of her life to have an orderly semblance of direction. The thought brought back the comfort that had begun to slip away.

Lightning turned, her feet never stopping for a second, and jogged back off the dock, leaping onto the sand once again. All she knew of love was that it was too complicated a thing to let it rule her life, even in small increments. Her love for Serah had made her and her sister estranged in the past. She didn't quite blame herself anymore for Serah becoming a l'Cie and turning into a crystal. They had been used as puppets. She did blame herself for letting her fierce, protective nature build a wall around her, all for the excuse of loving her sister. No, love was not something Lightning wanted to succomb to. She didn't mind loving her sister, but it wouldn't make her go to the lengths she once had ever again, and it would never get out of control.

A smile surprised her as it spread across her lips. Happiness was so simple now. She could be happy, even while longing for something forbidden, even while her pay wasn't always certain, and even while being roped into shopping with Serah's friends. Saving the world had saved her life in turn.

With that in mind, Lightning picked up her pace and ran, not quite the mad sprint of earlier, but more than a jog.

* * *

Lightning had been expecting to find Serah waiting for her, but instead she found Snow. His hover bike was parked in the opened garage, the engine exposed and being dismantled. She readied herself, still feeling happy about her life, but wary. Perhaps it would be the same as always. He would say hi, go back to his work, ignore the tension.

Snow waved at her, his eyes still on the bike beside him. "Serah had to go tell her friend that her wedding wouldn't fall apart because they couldn't afford both a cake and a chocolate fountain."

"Oh," Lightning said. She nearly stopped and nearly ran inside at the same time, but she was caught in between, jogging in place. Being alone with Snow was certainly something she avoided. "It's getting dark. You'll ruin your eyes like this."

"I'm almost done," he said.

Lightning awkwardly continued her jogging while she considered why a cake wasn't enough. After a moment, she noticed Snow staring at her, his eyebrows raised. Blushing slightly and quickly turning away to hide it, she jogged up the steps into the house and slammed the door behind her.

It was silly to let it unsettle her after he soul-searching jog had grounded her so well. She told herself to remember it, but epiphanies never particularly meant much to her. She usually didn't hold onto them. It was just so foolish. How could she vacillate between so many different emotions so quickly?

She decided to shower, no real idea how long Serah would have to comfort her friend's misfortune. The guest room was white and sterile, not touched by the same fine hand that had decorated most of the house with rich wood grains and stoney marble. It was simple, and Lightning knew Serah kept it like that for her in hopes that she might make it her own. It was the closest thing Lightning had to home, her sister's house in Bodhom. She never stayed anywhere long enough on Gran Pulse to want to own anything. Her employers and friends she worked with disagreed with the idea, staking a claim their own land on the surface where no one could charge them an exorbitant price, building up their homes during vacations from hunting and trapping.

They were mostly men with wives and children, occasionally women with husbands, occasionally young people with nothing better to do. None of them were like quite like Lightning.

Her job was a much safer thing to think of as she threw her clothes on the floor and hopped in the shower. She was in charge of four people now, assigning them roles to play and teaching them different magics to catch rare monsters. Serah hated to hear about it, so Lightning didn't feel the need to tell her that most of the beasts were trapped for their fur and not to be sold as exotic pets. The northern regions of Gran Pulse paid high prices year round for pelts to keep the new settlers there warm enough. Lightning had gone once, and found that it was much too cold for her liking, even covered in a thick fur coat she had trapped the animal of herself.

It was surprising that Snow hadn't gone back into that line of work. Instead, a construction company had been more than willing to give him a job and, after a while, promote him through their ranks. It was so normal. Was he happy?

Lightning shook her head. How did she keep defeating herself? Was Serah's discontentment bringing out her old hope that maybe she would get what she wanted?

It was a horrible thought and she scrubbed at her hair with her fingernails, as if she could scratch it out of her brain. There was no excuse for it. She resolved not to tempt herself, for whatever reason she was once again feeling the desire to break her rules, it wasn't worth it. She wouldn't leave her room until Serah was back.

The shower was much too warm and she turned the handle for cold water quickly, sighing and blowing the water off her lips. She had started believing again in people after seeing how cruel the fal'Cie were. At the very least, she was amazed at the range of human optimism and ambition, the very things she had lacked eight years ago. The Sanctum fal'Cie had also lacked that, and she didn't want to be that type of monster. She wanted to be like Serah and Vanille and Snow, hopeful and driven, even if they were sometimes scared. Lightning had always wanted a simple life. She had thought that she led one as a soldier for the Guardian Corps, but she had made it stark and lifeless, beyond simple into empty.

She shut off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel.

Serah's life was simple, a comfortable place to live, friends to visit, family to take care of, hopefully a growing one. It was no wonder that despite her happiness with her own life, she envied her sister. She couldn't let that destroy her.

* * *

Note: My laptop has a trojan, so I had to steal my husband's computer to type up what I've got so far, but ideally, since I'm so invested in this story, I'm trying to update weekly when I get my machine cleaned out. Thanks for the reviews and favorites thus far! Hope to get chapter three out after the weekend!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is the property of Square Enix. No profit is being made from the circulation of this story.

Notes: Terribly late posting this, mostly because real life is super busy these days.

Also, kudos to my fabulous beta, Ms. Pacman (who doesn't like the word beta and would like to be known as an alpha instead). I dedicate elephants to her in exchange for her services, because she wants those too.

Someone Must Get Hurt

Chapter 3

There were some things you were bound to regret, but he once hoped that his regrets didn't amount to more than the things he was proud of. Snow Villiers shaded his eyes against the sun as he watched the crane hoist the huge steel bars into place. He hated this job, but he had nothing else respectable to do but accept the promotion to foreman. The house wasn't completely paid for and the improvements took a hefty bit of money as well. He felt as if he was slipping further and further into the very life he didn't want to get trapped in.

It wasn't supposed to be a bad thing to get what he wanted, but it seemed like he hadn't planned well enough, like he had let himself get carried away.

Selling the Farron's house had probably been a mistake. It hadn't turned much of a profit after Cocoon's fall. The majority of people looking for homes went to the growing city surrounding the crystal pillar holding it aloft. Lightning had offered it to them, making plans to leave the former utopia altogether, but he and Serah had wanted their own place, a home they made—or rather, that Snow made. He had done it to himself though, there was no cause for him to feel so bitter about it.

The sisters had split the money from the house evenly and Serah had gone to school, but she was unhappy. Classes weren't what she expected. And the money was burnt through quickly. She hadn't been adult enough to understand, but Snow hadn't held that against her. He loved her, supported her decision to take a break, and when that break had never ended, he had told her to stay home, not to push herself into a job that would make her increasingly unhappier. He was already doing enough of that for the both of them, and he would rather it be his burden than hers to work every day at job he hated. They would get by.

They did get by, but Serah had never out grown her unhappiness.

Their house was the nicest in the neighborhood, but also the emptiest. Serah wanted to wait to have kids, not that Snow blamed her. He wanted his big family, but most of all he wanted to be a solid provider for them. Then, when they were ready, there was no baby. It was one more thing for Serah to be unhappy about. It was one more wedge between them.

He hated to think of it that way, but really their marriage had several things that drove them apart over the years. They were glaring mistakes he and Serah had ignored, her reluctance to talk to him when things upset her, his obvious obliviousness to things she thought he should notice, the times they would fight over things he said that he didn't realize were really as bad as they sounded. He regretted not working harder, for himself and Serah...and for Lightning.

His sister-in-law invaded his thoughts every so often, usually when Serah would say her name and he would spirit away the memories of getting to know her until he was alone, later, thinking of how things might have been different. It wasn't something he entertained much anymore. He prided himself on not holding on to things that would-have, could-have or should-have happened, and Lighting was no exception, but every once in a while, when he caught the way she smiled lopsidedly and chuckled, hardly ever laughing, it made him remember. He had decided years ago that his thoughts would never damn him, so he allowed them to wander.

She looked so different from Serah on the way back from her run the previous night. Her cheeks had been flushed, her rose hair pulled back into a ponytail that had become loose while jogging. Serah styled her hair meticulously, cut into a short, fashionable bob that she often curled. She never jogged, she never looked less than perfect. It was a nod to her lifestyle, a socialite housewife. Lightning was a monster hunter, like Snow had been before they became l'Cie, living a rugged and daring life, just as she had since her parents' death.

Every so often, especially when he fought with Serah, he wondered if it wouldn't have been better to be honest with them both. They had been young when they got married, and over the years they'd both changed, and the reasons for it were many and confusing.

Snow wasn't unhappy when things were good. He didn't think about fighting Cieth or messy pink hair when he and Serah were cooking dinner together, strolling down the beach, or coasting along on his hover bike just as the sun began to dip into the ocean. It was only when she spent half the night at her friend's house and came home to argue with him that he wanted to escape his marriage. And Lightning was down the hall in his guest room. She treated him with a different disdain these days, as if she truly resented him again, but she was still captivating and miraculous Lightning Farron, still his sister-in-law.

A bead of sweat ran down his forehead from under his bright yellow hard hat. It really was a far-cry from being the hero who saved Cocoon, a l'Cie, even the leader of NORA. His friends were still adventurous. Lightning wasn't the only one with an exciting job. Hope worked for the Guardian Corps on the surface. NORA still lived on with his friends, Gadot, Lebreau, Maqui and Yuj, expanded to monster hunting on the surface, competition for Lightning's employer. Sazh and his son, unofficially because he was kid, were test pilots for a large company. Snow Villiers built buildings.

He wanted to be right there with them. He didn't want to be a foreman.

* * *

Lightning checked her watch, shifting the shopping bags to her other arm.

"What about this?" Serah asked. She held up the vase and began to study it. Light filtered through the blown glass, casting colors on the floor.

"It looks like the other one," Lightning muttered.

"No, it's pinker," Serah corrected. Her two friends shot Lightning a pair of glares.

"I think I like the other one better," the first one, Zoey, said. She was getting married in a month, thankfully after Lightning's vacation ended, and it meant she had quite a bit of shopping to do. Serah carried a few of her shopping bags and, consequently, Lightning carried all of Serah's.

"Hmm, well, I think I like this one better," the second one said. Whateverhernamewas.

"You think or you like?" Lightning asked. This time Serah stopped to glare at her as well. She racked her brain for something to redeem herself. "I liked the one that looked like a mushroom."

"Oh, yeah, that was pretty," Serah agreed, pacified. She put down the vase in her hands and walked around the shelf to pick up the one Lightning had mentioned. Her two friends looked skeptical at Lightning's taste, but Serah had a slight smile on her face.

_Maybe I can tell her I like better friends for her and she'll pick them too, _Lightning thought.

"Okay, I'll get this one," Serah announced.

Shopping was perhaps her least favorite activity, right along with being chewed on by huge fangs and breaking her bones, but Serah was persistent in taking her. Despite the fact that Lightning lagged behind as they strolled through the mall and tended to stop at weapons shops. It had been a long day of dresses, blouses, shoes, mixing bowls, frying pans and vases. Thankfully, it was nearing four o'clock, which meant she would "reluctantly" beg out of the next store and head to the train station. Serah had originally intended to go with her to pick up Hope, but Zoey needed her continued moral support. Lightning tried not to roll her eyes even as she thought about Serah's friend.

Weddings were such overproduced, hysterical social productions. At least Serah's had been small and Lightning had so few friends that she avoided most invitations such events. To be completely honest, Lightning considered her aversion to weddings nearly strong enough to be a phobia.

"Light, do you want to take my car?" Serah asked. She was stuffing her credit card back in her handbag and shoving a wrapped box that must have been the vase at Lightning. "Veronique said she'll drop me at home, then you and Hope don't have to get a cab."

"Sure, sure," Lightning said, accepting the keys. "I guess I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah, see you at home," Serah said.

Lightning turned to go but her sister coughed conspicuously.

"Oh, nice shopping with you again, Lightning," Zoey said.

"Good to see you!" Veronique added.

"Yeah, it was fun," Lightning lied. She really wanted to forget she had saved them from plummeting to their doom once, but she smiled for Serah.

The shopping day had been quite fruitful for Serah, Lightning thought, her arms rather well-burdened as she tried not to run to the parking garage. The relief of getting away did make her smile to herself.

She and Hope saw each other quite frequently but it had been nearly two months since the last time. He had grown up quickly, at least to Lightning. His father made sure he finished school, but nothing had dissuaded him from becoming a member of Guardian Corps, not even Lightning's opinion that being a mercenary was probably more fun. After Orphan's defeat and the destruction of fal'Cie control, she had held a cynical view on all things originally created by them. Hope had been eager to rebuild based on the idea that humans could do better than the fal'Cie. He made a fine officer.

Once the shopping bags were in the backseat, Lightning pulled the hover car out onto the road, still thinking to herself about Hope. He had been quite upset when she decided to make her living on Gran Pulse while he was still stuck in Cocoon. He was young though and bounced back fairly quickly. When he did join Guardian Corps, he followed her to the surface. They and PSICOM did have their hands full policing such a new and dangerous frontier. That was why she saw him so frequently, he was her police contact when, from time to time, she rendered some questionable services. The dealing of animals wasn't exactly the kindest pursuit, but it had not yet been politically handled by the budding government.

She was probably lucky though that Hope had not arrested her on a few occasions. Though she doubted he actually willingly would, it had crossed her mind. Hope had idolized her for years and that had turned into a crush. Lightning had discouraged it, trying not to let it come between them. She thought of him as a younger brother. He was a good kid, but she wasn't romantically interested.

How could she be interested in anyone, really, besides Snow?

There had been a few affairs over the years, but mostly she kept them strictly business-like. Lightning didn't see anyone the way she saw Snow, she didn't feel that strong connection emotionally, though physically she had urges. Seldom did she give in to them, but when she did it wasn't serious and it wasn't what Hope wanted from her.

She parked out front by the station and got out of Serah's car. The train would arrive shortly and she made her way to the platform. Bodhum was rumored to be getting an airport in the next few years to connect it to the surface. Until then, however, travelers had to take the train from an airport in a neighboring city.

Hope had been in Palumpolum, visiting his father. Bartholomew Estheim wasn't the worst father in the world, but he and Hope certainly had their disagreements. Despite the fact that he was now in his twenties, he still felt the need to rebel against something. Perhaps it was his lack of a rebellion stage when he was younger, his teen years spent fighting fal'Cie, mourning his mother, and trying to act older than he really was. It probably wasn't quite so simple, Lightning thought, but it was probably something close.

As she waited for Hope, she wondered if he'd be happy after spending time in Palumpolum or sad. His mood could be as unpredictable as the weather, happy to have seen his home, annoyed that it wasn't as he remembered it, angry that his father had changed.

The biggest annoyance to Hope was that Bartholomew Estheim had remarried. It was a quite private wedding that not even Snow or Lightning were invited to, Lightning thanked her lucky stars for. Hope had a hard time accepting it, but worse, he had liked the woman, Martha Glade. She was kind and understanding—and twenty years younger than his father. It would have been much easier if she had been a horrible witch who hated children, then Hope would have gone through with his plan to drive her off, which Lightning and Sazh had helped him brainstorm up. Unfortunately, he had liked her and eventually, his father had married her.

She had been like a breath of fresh air in the Estheim home. No one could fault Hope's father for wanting that in his life, but it didn't necessarily help Hope feel glad for a new mother figure.

The whistle of the train cut through the air and Lightning turned to watch down the tracks as it approached. The sun glinted off a lamp post and she shaded her blue eyes with her hand. She could smell a hint of the sea even at the station. The train slowed as it pulled in, sliding to a stop at the platform. There were a few people waiting just as she was and they eagerly pressed forward a few steps as the doors opened.

Hope was easy to spot stepping off the train, his silver hair standing out half a head taller than most. Lightning remembered his growth spurt, feeling quite awkward that he had grown so tall so quickly, but he had become rather good-looking. She had to admit that.

"Light!"

"Hey stranger," Lightning said.

"I should be saying that to you," Hope said. Though he pouted at her, he had a grin in his eyes.

"Busy year," she said.

"I bet," Hope said. He stepped forward and spread his arms, embracing her. She tentatively patted him on the back. Hugging was incredibly awkward for her, but she allowed two people in the world to do it without repercussions. "So where is everybody? They don't like me enough anymore to come pick me up?"

Lightning chuckled. "Serah had an emergency with her friend's wedding and Snow is working."

"Still in construction?" Hope asked.

Lightning nodded. "Car's this way."

The crowd was becoming increasingly more annoying and she wondered just when she had become nervous around people. Before, she had let them go about their stupid lives, which had no impact on her. Maybe she was really becoming a hermit like Serah accused her of.

"When are Sazh and Dajh coming?" Hope asked.

"Whenever Sazh can tear his son away from home," Lightning said with a frown. She and Hope reached the car and she popped the trunk. Hope tossed his suitcase inside.

"Yeah, I heard he's already starting to chase girls," he said. "It doesn't help that he's such a prodigy in the air."

Lightning nodded as they climbed into the car. Dajh had been taking piloting lessons from his father for six years, after he started to show an affinity for planes and airships. He was a hot shot, something that continually worried Sazh and certainly impressed his friends—boys and girls. Frankly, Lightning thought he was certainly skilled enough that worrying about him was more effort than it was worth, but he wasn't her kid.

"So how was Palumpolum?" she asked casually. Hope seemed happy enough.

"It was pretty nice this year," he said evenly. "Dad and Martha had a lot of things going on. She's been doing a lot of work for city improvement movements and she wanted my opinions."

"And your dad?"

"He's alright," Hope said.

Lightning knew not to press him from the way he turned and looked out his window at the ocean by the roadside. She concentrated on driving.

"Oh, you should hear about the last mission I was on before I came back to Cocoon," Hope said, changing the subject.

She let him.

* * *

There was a commotion in the kitchen. Lightning and Hope exchanged a glance as Serah's voice carried to them at the door. They couldn't understand her but she sounded far more angry than she ever had before. Snow's deep voice cut in, an undertone that was quickly cut off again. Lightning strode through the house quickly, Hope on her heels. His suitcase fell somewhere in the living room and they stepped into the kitchen with the two combatants.

"I don't understand how you can be so selfish!" Serah yelled.

"Me? What about you? How selfish are you being? You're taking this too hard, it won't change our lives that much!" Snow shouted back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, not having any money won't change our lives?" Serah asked.

Lightning scowled, her eyes going to Snow. He was still in his work jeans, covered in dust from the job sight. His face was pulled down by a deep frown that had settled in his eyes.

"What's going on?" Hope asked. He placed himself beside Serah but slightly closer to Snow, as if he would need to put himself between them.

"It's nothing you guys should worry about," Snow said.

"Oh that's rich," Serah said. "Sure, it's not their problem, but it's mine. What are we going to do, Snow? We're trying to have a family and you're just giving it all up. Light, he wants to quit his job! He doesn't want to take his promotion!"

"Why not?" Lightning asked, meeting Snow's desperate eyes. He was afraid of her and Hope, afraid that they would find him completely irresponsible, but it was actually quite clear. It wasn't what he wanted. It was Serah that surprised her. The life she had wasn't what she wanted either, but she was fighting so hard to keep it. Her face was red with fury.

"I want to do something different," Snow said, his calm voice strained. "This isn't how I wanted us to turn out, Serah."

"So you don't love me anymore?" she asked.

"That's not it at all!" Snow said.

Lightning believed him and a small part of her was sad.

"How can you come in here and say these things to me then? How can you say you don't want to do your job?" Serah said. "You hate this house, you hate this town, you hate our friends. You are saying that you hate our life and you know what? This is my life too. All these things are things I do for you!"

"Please don't take it like that, Serah," Snow said. "I've given you everything you've wanted-"

"You think this empty house is everything I wanted?" Serah asked.

"Serah, calm down," Lightning said before either could say something they'd truly regret.

Serah visibly trembled but leaned back against the marble counters of her kitchen. They were standing in the very tribute to their lifestyle, a lavishly furnished room where Serah spent most of her time with a catalog and a glass of wine. Lightning was quiet but Hope looked at her as if to tell her to keep going and say something else to ease the situation. She didn't know what would help, her brain already searching for something to do.

"I know you're not exactly happy right now," Serah said finally. "So don't throw it all away. I don't want to lose the house."

"We won't lose the house, Serah," Snow said. "I won't just give it up. I just want to do something else, more like the things I used to do. You were happy when I was the Hero, well that's who I want to be."

"You mean you want to run off and fight dangerous monsters and leave me here," Serah said.

"It's not like that," Snow replied. "You can come with me. This whole crazy life has a to stop though. I'm breaking my back and you're entertaining girlfriends at the mall."

"They're my friends!" Serah huffed, her barely-formed calm disappearing.

"They're just friends," Lightning said. "Serah, you don't need to buy vases and dresses with them. It's not making you happy. You're fighting over something that you don't even want."

She could see that her opinion was probably not what her sister wanted to hear. Like a match lit under a pile of dead grass, Serah's temper flared up. Lightning could tell from the conflicted emotions on Snow's face he was both thankful and scared of what it meant that she agreed, that she understood his side. Serah didn't appreciated it one bit.

"You're both wrong!" Serah said. "And you can't tell me what I do and don't want!"

She stormed past them, making sure not to touch either of them as she headed for the door. Snow called her name, asking her to wait, but Lightning grabbed his arm. Serah wasn't in a place where she would reason with either of them. She felt attacked, blind-sided.

"I'm sorry," Lightning whispered. She looked away from Snow to Hope. He stood awkwardly, clearly waiting to find out if he was making a mistake by simply breathing in the same room as this argument.

Suddenly, Serah reappeared in the doorway, the vase from the mall in her hands. Time seemed to dramatically slow as she raised it over her shoulder and lobbed it towards both Lightning and Snow. They both jumped back a step as it shattered, throwing hundreds of sparkling pink and violet glass across the floor.

"I hated it!" she said defiantly, then turned and was once again gone. The front door slammed a moment later.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is the property of Square Enix. No profit is being made from the circulation of this story.

Warning: I debated whether or not to discuss it ahead of time, and ultimately decided it wasn't fair unless I mentioned it. There is a major side pairing in this chapter, as well as adult situations involving said pairing. You are hereby warned.

Note: Thanks once again to Ms. Pacman, for helping me develop the plot!

Someone Must Get Hurt

Chapter 4

Serah glanced at the pink sky and scowled. She had been wandering in a rage for hours, she supposed, and the sun had disappeared behind the horizon but she didn't want to go home. Her husband and her sister had both betrayed her. They both still thought of her as some little girl who didn't take anything seriously. She hadn't stayed to hear them ridicule her life or her friends anymore, but most of all she hadn't stayed to hear all the things she had felt thrown in her face as if she didn't understand what was going on. It had all bothered her, becoming a housewife, a socialite, a trophy wife. She had accepted it though.

What else was there?

She ran a hand through her hair and tugged at the tips in exasperation. There was no answer to her question and there hadn't been for the last eight years. Her biggest accomplishment, fulfilling her l'Cie Focus, had already played out and she had nothing to look forward to day to day, month to month, and year to year. They didn't understand. Lightning, Hope, Sazh, they had all moved on with their lives. She had even thought Snow had moved on, with her—at first. In the early days of their marriage it was rather apparent that he was looking forward to the future. Serah was so angry. Her future, the baby she longed for, it was a possibility that brought her no happiness, no real hope.

They didn't understand at all. Zoey's wedding was a distraction. It all was, and that was how she justified living her life. She didn't want them to be right, but there wasn't much to deny it. There was something though. As long as their group of friends, their neighbors, the people she saw at the supermarket, their social circle looked at her that way, her life was justified. It cost money not only to live a certain way, but to look a certain way, and that was what had come to mean anything to her.

The way Snow and Lightning had looked at her let her know that that idea was too foreign to them. It would never be an acceptable reason, "simply" wanting to keep up appearances.

Serah had wandered into the downtown area of Bodhum before she looked around again. There were several hotels on either side of the block, their neon signs casting glowing light into the street. She wrapped her arms more tightly around her stomach and let out a sigh, picking out a hotel with a bar and letting herself in out of the night air. The doorman greeted her with a kind hello and a smile. She had thankfully thought to grab her purse, though she forgot to take her keys back from Lightning. It was really no matter though, as long as she had her credit card she could get a cab home.

He hotel bar was dimly lit and decorated with dark wood and gold accents. The bar stools had red, velvety cushions. Overall, it was normally too tacky for her to frequent, but she was looking for a bit of liquid nerves, not somewhere to take the girls on Friday nights. Serah slid onto the squishy chair and leaned forward on her elbows stiffly. Her feet reminded her that she had been on them most of the day with a sudden soreness and she sighed.

"Evening, Miss, what can I get you?" the bartender asked. He was the classic imaged of a bartender, a white shirt, black vest, apron, a towel draped over his arm. He was handsome and clean shaven, different from Snow and his perpetual stubble.

"Um," Serah said nonsensically. She pressed her lips together and looked down at her hands, frowning at her nails. The nail polish on the ring finger of her left hand was chipping. "I'd like a gimlet."

"Coming right up," he said, giving her a smile. He turned to grab a few bottles and a cocktail shaker.

She finished her first and second drinks fairly quickly. The fuzzy feeling in her head was rather intense and she realized she hadn't had anything to eat in quite a few hours. The bowl of pretzels on the bar in front of her was tempting. As the bottom of her second martini glass began to show, she stuffed a few twisted pieces of salty dough into her mouth. They weren't the most delicious thing she had ever tasted and were particularly unsuited to go with her drink.

"Excuse me, is there any way I could order something to eat?" Serah asked as the bartender approached, probably intending to ask if she would like another drink.

"The kitchen is still open for another 30 minutes," he said, checking his watch. He reached under the bar and pulled out a small menu in a black leather case. She took it and scanned it quickly.

"Calamari sounds delicious," she decided.

"I'll put that right in for you," he said. "Would you like me to refresh your drink again, Miss?"

"Not quite yet, but I'll let you know," Serah said.

She was already too relaxed and decided to slow down. It was one thing to build up her confidence with delicious gimlets and another to fall flat on her face because of all the alcohol coursing through her system. She ran her fingernails through the condensation on the outside of her drink, leaving circular trails in the moisture.

It really wouldn't be so bad to be free of this lifestyle.

By the time her food arrived, she was quite hungry and glad to see it. Popping a fried piece of squid into her mouth, she could feel it water around the morsel.

Snow didn't much like seafood, now that she thought about it. It had been a while since they had eaten fish or anything of the sort. He was a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. Serah had adjusted so many of her tastes to suit his needs. It had been easier than holding onto things that didn't fit into their little dream life.

As she was finishing her food, she caught sight of a man approaching the bar. Their eyes met and she quickly glanced down at the polished wood in front of her, trying not to make eye contact again. It was in vain. He came right up to her, his posture easy and inviting.

"Hello," he said, flashing a devilish smile at her. He had leaned in beside her bar stool, handsome with a youthful, bright look leering at her, full of confidence. He wore a suit and a skinny, black tie and his short hair was slick back neatly. He was the type who came out to a bar after leaving his office job, young but moving up in the world with all the quickness of a rabbit with its tail on fire. And he wanted her attention. He would have been her type, before Snow.

"Hello," Serah said back.

"Would you let me buy you a drink?" he asked. "Another gimlet?"

"Yes, thank you," she said. "I'm Serah."

"Keith," he said. His smile never disappeared and it was beginning to make her feel a bit uncomfortable. "I haven't seen you here before, Serah."

"It's my first time here," she said. "This isn't really my type of place."

As he waved the bartender down, he sat on the bar stool beside her. "That's too bad. A girl like you brightens up a whole room. This drab place could certainly use the sunshine you carry around with you. Sir, another gimlet for the lady, on my tab."

The line was corny but pleasant to hear. After her day, any positive attention was nice, even if it was inappropriate for her to accept as a married woman. She just wanted that care-free, fun flirtation, not the complicated affairs of her marriage to Snow. She didn't want to be Mrs. Villiers in that moment but Miss Farron, a flirty young girl with dreams and ambition, with freedom. She sipped the end of her drink.

"I hope you don't take offense, but I saw you come in about an hour ago," Keith said to her. He was certainly laying on the charm with the way his voice dripped with flattery. She knew another compliment was on its way. "I was working up the courage to come talk to such a beautiful woman."

"Are you a professional charmer, Keith?" Serah asked, tilting her head slightly and letting her curled hair bob, catching the soft light. She wasn't unaware of the things that made her appeal to men's eyes. She made a show of gracefully bending her wrist to run a finger across the edge of the cocktail glass in front of her.

"Not quite," he said, his eyes directly on what she wanted them to be on. "I'm a lawyer. Charming pretty women is just a very pleasant hazard of the skills I have acquired in that line of work. Enough about me though. Tell me, Serah, what brings you here tonight?"

Oh, he was good.

Serah looked down as the bartender took her glass from her and replaced it with a full one. The cloudy white drink held her gaze as she thought once more about her reasons for being here. Before meeting Snow, she had been to similar places, nightclubs that had plenty of carbon copies of this Keith, a lawyer, probably a mediocre one who just used it as a good way to impress girls. Snow didn't like to take her to bars like this. They weren't his scene; he was no Keith. Lightning had disapprovingly told her they were too seedy. It was nice to do something that they didn't agree with. It made her feel as though she had some control on her life again instead of being a spectator along for the ride.

"I just needed a little break," Serah said finally, smiling at him. "Sometimes you just have one of those days where nothing seems right." She took a rather large sip of her drink and set it back down again. "You just need to step back from it and let the day end."

"I know what you mean," he said. "And I think I have a good way to end your day, Serah."

She stiffened as his hand slid across her back and she realized that her flirtation wasn't as innocent as she meant for it to be. Snow had been the only man to touch her like that in eight years, and before then, most of the men she ran into didn't get that close. The thought occurred to her that it wasn't exactly unwanted. He had surprised her with his forwardness, but it didn't upset her. It didn't quite thrill her, but the possibility of thrill was definitely there. Serah took another drink.

* * *

Lightning poured the wine into the glass and watched it cast red beams of light onto Serah's dining table. Hope was peeling the label off of his second bottle of beer, his eyes trained on the door. It was after ten o'clock. Neither Serah nor Snow had returned. They didn't quite expect them, but they both hoped they would be surprised by them coming home, together. Lightning regretted that she had let Snow go search for her by himself, but she she really didn't know where to start. Drinking with Hope had been a bad alternative though. Her world was starting to spin after nearly a full bottle of red wine.

"I shouldn't have said anything to her when she was like that," Lightning mumbled. "I should've been a better a better sister, you know? But I always say the wrong thing to Serah."

She remembered when she found out her sister was a l'Cie and all the wrong things she had said then too. Her strengths did not lie in comforting Serah with words. It was something she had to remember for the future.

"It'll be okay," Hope said.

Lightning sighed, dejected. "Will it? Serah is so fragile."

"No, you're wrong about that," Hope said. "She's just the same as you and me, there are things that hurt her, and this is one of them, but once she sees you and Snow aren't trying to say these things to be mean to her, she'll be okay. You'll see."

Her head had come to rest on her arms and she didn't remember that happening. She turned to look at him without lifting it though. "Do you think so? I don't know if that's enough, we were cruel to her. I thought maybe she would be happy after what she said to me the other day...I just don't get why she's against Snow being happy."

"That's not what bothers her," Hope said. He stood, setting his bottle down next to her glass of wine and moving to the chair beside her. His proximity would have bothered her had she been sober but the fuzzy warm feeling in her arms made it impossible for anything to bother her, aside from her sister's problems. Hope leaned down on his arms as well, their eyes on the same level.

"I don't understand their life," Lightning confessed. "I thought when they got married everything was perfect. Snow did exactly what he promised to, he took care of her and made sure she had everything she wanted."

"It's never that simple," Hope said. "My dad tried to do the same for me, but usually the things you want are the things someone can't just give to you. They're things you work for yourself."

Lightning regarded him for a moment. He really had grown and not just taller. His ability to put into words what she was trying to wrap her brain around was extremely keen.

"I guess that's true," she said quietly. "I guess...I wouldn't understand that because I've never really wanted much, not for myself."

"You wanted to save Cocoon," Hope pointed out.

He was right. After she had realized the bigger picture at stake in their l'Cie Focus, she had wanted to save Cocoon. It had made her happy to work toward that goal and it still brought out that grateful feeling that she had gotten what she wanted.

"Yeah, and I did," Lightning said. "It happened just like I wanted. Well. Not like I wanted exactly. Fang and Vanille...but I got what I wanted, and I'm still alone."

"You're not alone!" Hope said, sitting up in surprise. Lightning was also caught off guard, lifting her head from her arms. "I mean, what I wanted to say was...I'd never let you be alone. Not if I could help it. I...Light, you've always been there for me."

"That's sweet, Hope," Lightning said. She patted his arm.

"I don't mean it to be just sweet, Light, it's how I feel," he said, his tone taking a slight turn toward frustrated. "Whenever I think that there's no one who could understand me, when I just feel terrible, I think of you. You've been there for me when my mother died, when my father remarried, when I wanted to join Guardian Corps instead of go to school. Sometimes you don't understand how I feel, but you're there for me. So I'm there for you, when you need me to be, and even when you don't."

Lightning pressed her lips together. It was nice to hear someone care so profoundly for her and she thought perhaps she hadn't given Hope his fair chance. She had been so caught up with Snow, her supposed love for him, that perhaps that _had_ been the reason, all along, that her life had shaped up this way. Perhaps, Hope deserved a chance to take her problems away.

He was an honorable young man. Not only was he interested, but he clearly worshiped her. Every now and then, she did get a little bit lonely, and it was deeper than simply longing for her sister's husband, deeper than having a need for sex. It was a craving for intimacy, the thing that she truly lacked.

Or so she had thought. The way Hope lovingly described their relationship, as unromantic as she had tried to keep it, gave a glimmer of what she wanted, especially in that moment. She had always wanted to be close to Serah, to have a relationship with her that fulfilled her longing for human contact. Instead, it was fraught with all Serah's disappointments that she couldn't tell anyone else and Lightning's desperation to keep her shameful feelings a secret.

"Light..." Hope said softly. He did have a way of saying her name that tried to convince her to give in, and she wanted to.

"Yes, Hope?" she said.

"I...I know it's not exactly the right time, but I couldn't think of when to tell you," he said. "When I was visiting my dad...he told me that Martha is pregnant."

The words weren't what she had expected, but she didn't let that show. She knew immediately that this information had jarred him and he had been waiting for a chance to tell her, to get that comfort from her that he had just spoken of. To Hope, Serah and Snow's problems were beyond their help, and it reminded Lightning that though she offended her sister, the real issues plaguing her were not anything she should have to fix. This, however, was something she could help Hope with. He was the one asking desperately to connect with her. Serah and Snow had each other.

"Hope, your father is happy," Lightning began. "He has a right to want to be happy. He still loves you, and I'm sure he still has a place in his heart for your mother."

"It's just so weird," Hope said. "I know those things, but sometimes it's hard to remember it because it feels like I'm not a part of my own life anymore."

"I know that feeling," Lightning agreed. She reached out and put a hand on his elbow, slowly sliding it the length of his arm to his and, clasping her fingers around his. She was treading on dangerous ground. It was heady, letting go of her control, and it wasn't just the wine.

"Light, I-"

She stopped him, raising a finger to her lips and blowing out air to form a, "Shhh."

Tentatively, she leaned forward and sat up a little straighter to bring their lips together. Hope tensed, as though he was certain this wasn't happening. Lightning caressed his lips with her own, her hand coming up to cup his chin and tilt his head for better access. After a moment, it occurred to her that he hadn't moved. She pulled away, her brow furrowing.

"Light, you've had too much to drink," Hope said softly.

It made her angry to hear him blame it on alcohol. She was perfectly capable of holding her liquor. Letting go of her control had nothing—well, little—to do with her wine consumption. She grasped his chin more firmly and kissed him again, more forcefully. This time, his arms flew up to grasp her shoulders and he couldn't help but hold on for the ride. Lightning wasn't one to be subtle.

"Hope, you can take it or leave it, but tonight, yes," she said when she pulled away again. "Tonight, this is what I'm saying."

He blinked at her as she stood, keeping their eyes locked.

"Red wine can't make me do anything I don't already want to do," she told him and herself. She didn't tell him all the things that could that didn't start with love.

"Okay," Hope said, finding his voice. It was soft and it caught in his throat. He swallowed. "Yeah, okay, Light."

They found her bedroom in a whirl of lips and hands and skin. She hit the edge of the nightstand and swore under her breath at the sharp jab to her hip, but when Hope stopped kissing her to apologize, Lighting liked that even less. She pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it on the floor. He tried to say something but she distracted him by starting in on his pants.

If red wine didn't make her do anything she didn't want to, it did impede her motor skills. She fell onto the bed, coming eye-level with the buttons on his pants and she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"No, you're not getting _that _lucky, Hope," she said, unable to stop herself from chuckling. It might have sounded something like a giggle, but she assured herself that it wasn't.

"I wasn't thinking-"

Lightning cut him off with a grin of triumph as she yanked his pants down his legs and left him to step out of them himself. She was standing again, kissing him in a flash. Hope seemed to tense up again and she frowned in annoyance.

"Light," he said, gripping her arms and using her momentarily pause to step back. He stumbled a bit, his pants still tangled at his ankles, but didn't fall. "Slow down."

She regarded him through hooded eyes, beginning to feel the cloud of frantic emotions in her mind dissipating. What was she doing? Was she really treating him, Hope, with such carelessness?

"I'm sorry, you're right," she said. "You don't deserve for this to be crazy. I think I got carried away after you blamed the wine."

Hope finally smiled again, the first time since she had begun to kiss him. "Let's just slow down."

Lightning nodded.

Hope's throat was incredibly dry. He blinked a few times as the stark room came into focus and he smiled to himself. Lightning lay beside him, curled about her pillow. It would have been nice if she had wanted to curl around him, but he supposed it would have been too much to expect that she would be the cuddly type. He swung his feet from the bed slowly, trying not to wake her. He found his clothes and slipped into them, not sure if Snow or Serah had returned yet. The last thing he wanted was to be caught in their house naked.

As he slid out of the room, he closed the door behind him quietly, careful not to let it bang, and padded down the hall to the kitchen. The moonlight shone through the windows, casting blue shadows through the house. He passed the dinning room and caught sight of his beer bottle and Lightning's wine, stopping to pick them up to take them to the kitchen sink.

A sudden buzzing caught his attention and he frowned, listening. It was coming from under the table, and so was a small blinking light. Hope knelt and recovered Lightning's ringing phone. The slender device was vibrating demandingly and he flipped it open without much thought, raising it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello?" came the rough, soft voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, hi," Hope said. "If you're calling for Light, I mean, you have to be, this is her phone but—she's not available right now."

"Hope, is that you?"

He recognized Serah's voice this time. She sounded terrified. He immediately crawled from beneath the table and stood.

"Yeah, it's me, Serah," he told her. "Are you alright?"

"I...I'm okay," she said, but he didn't believe her. "Listen, can you come get me?"

"Of course," Hope said. It didn't occur to him to say no. "Where are you?"

"I'm downtown, at the Hotel Bodhum Beach. Lightning had my car keys..."

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be there soon. You're sure you're okay? Did you try to call Snow?" he asked.

"I'm sure, and no," she said, her voice gaining firmness. "Light isn't with you either, Hope?"

"No, she, uh, fell asleep," Hope told her. "Do you want me to wake her up? I can if you want me to..."

"No!" Serah said. "No, since she's sleeping, please don't. Just take my car, come get me. Please Hope. I appreciate it."

"I'll be right there, Serah," he said. Hope couldn't place what made him so uneasy. He heard the click of the line disconnecting and he closed the phone, slipping it into his pocket as he headed for the door.

To Be Continued.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy XIII is the property of Square Enix. No profit is being made from the circulation of this story.

Someone Must Get Hurt  
Chapter 5

The house had a stillness about it that unnerved even Lightning. Her sister's bedroom door remained shut in the morning and into the afternoon. She hadn't seen Snow all day, despite the fact that she rose early. Thankfully, she had a predisposition against hangovers, especially helpful after a night like the previous.

She hadn't meant to sleep with Hope. Even as she felt herself giving in, her lips moving against his, she had told herself to stop. But she didn't stop. She didn't know what to make of it. There had always been a definite connection between them, but Lightning had seen herself more as an older sister than anything else to Hope. It made her inability to control herself all the more distasteful.

It made her want Snow all the more.

She tried to fight it down, but her old, irrational longing for him surged up in her as she woke. She was missing so much in life and love because she couldn't let go of it, let go of him. He didn't belong to her and it made it all the worse. Spending forever pining away for someone made everyone else remind her just how empty her life would be.

She wanted Serah's comfort, but she wasn't sure she deserved it anymore. Not only did she have impure thoughts about her sister's husband, she didn't stand up for Serah. She didn't protect her sister when she needed it. Lightning had to make amends.

As the afternoon bled into evening and the sky began to dim, she decided to breach the distance between them. She knocked on Serah's bedroom door, but got no response. She pressed on anyway, letting herself into the room.

Dim light streamed in through the open door, framing her shadow across the bed where a Serah-sized lump lay, encased in blankets.

"Hope said he brought you home last night. Then he took off and said he needed some air," Lightning said, falling onto the bed beside her sister.

Serah turned her head slightly, her face still buried in the pillow but one eye opened and darted around, taking in Lightning. She had the blankets pulled up to her neck despite the warmth in the air. Her hair clung to her head, a mess of curls that had air-dried into an untamed ball of wiry pink.

"Please leave me alone," she whispered.

Lightning scowled at her. "That won't happen, Serah. I need to talk to you."

"I'm sorry, I overreacted," Serah replied. "I know you didn't mean to hurt my feelings. I was just shocked."

Her voice sounded hollow to Lightning, as though she had rehearsed the lines before. She was trying to give Lightning an excuse to leave, a fake apology that she didn't really mean, a way to let sleeping dogs lie. Lightning didn't want that. She wanted her sister to understand. She wanted Serah to feel better, not like a lump curled up in bed, suffocating herself in misery.

"I shouldn't have said what I did to you," Lightning said. "I was trying to be honest, but I wasn't being sympathetic at the same time. You were shocked, and I just made it worse."

Serah lifted her head a bit more, both her eyes regarding Lightning. "I made things even worse after that," she whispered.

Lightning waited, but Serah only stared, her blue eyes wide. With a sigh, Lightning pulled the blanket up from under her and slid under it. They hadn't ever really shared a bed, but when Serah had been scared or upset, Lightning had crawled under the blankets with her, offering her comfort and calm. It happened until their parents died. She regretted not crawling into bed then, but it had changed her. It was how she became Lightning.

"Your shoes are in my bed," Serah pointed out.

Lightning playfully slid her foot over and nudged her with her toe. "Serah, I love you, you're my favorite little sister," she said, a lopsided smile crossing her face.

Serah didn't return the gesture. Her face remained a total mask, completely unfamiliar to Lightning. It was rather disconcerting the longer she wore it, until both sisters looked away, Serah burying her face in her pillow once again and Lightning gazing up at the ceiling. They both let the silence stretch over the bed, an awkward shroud that didn't quite cover their feet.

"I did something I shouldn't have," Serah whispered. Lightning nearly missed it for the softness of her voice but as she replayed the sound in her head, it made sense to her in a way that wasn't entirely logical. Hope had picked her up at the Hotel Bodhum Beach, somewhere Lightning hadn't been able to place the first time she had heard it. Serah had been in the bar, she assumed. Had she been there with someone else? How far had she gone?

"I shouldn't have told you that," Serah said, clearing her raspy throat. She curled her fingers tightly around the sheet, making a white-knuckled fist.

Lightning pressed her lips together, unsure of what to say. Her mind began a frantic race that followed no logical progression. Would Serah do that? Was she even capable of that? Did it mean something or nothing, a mistake or intentional? She seemed regretful, but Lightning wondered if, because of how she also seemed so subdued and calm, if there wasn't more to what Serah was feeling.

"Please say something," Serah said. "I can't stand you not saying anything."

"I don't know what to say," Lightning replied quietly.

"That's alright," Serah said. "I didn't expect anyone to say anything, really. You're my sister, you can't exactly call me a whore or a slut to my face."

"You're not either of those things, how could you think I would call you that, Serah?" Lightning asked, stung.

"I can see it on your face," Serah whispered. She gripped the pillow tightly and wrinkled her nose, willing herself not to cry. "Please, just leave me alone, Claire. I need some time to think."

Lightning couldn't stand it any longer. She didn't know if her face really said those things, but she hated herself for the possibility. Her sister's pain was beyond her help. She pushed herself from the bed and fled back to her room.

"Light?"

She opened her eyes at the sound of his deep voice. His hand was on the doorknob, the other scratching the back of his head in indecision. Should he enter? Lightning didn't know. She didn't know if she wanted him to or not. Could she hold everything inside of her, or would all the secrets, her own yearning and sins, her sister's transgressions, would they all come barreling through her lips in a verbal explosion?

"Yes, Snow?" she said, keeping her voice even.

He hesitated still, staring with guarded eyes at the floor. Lightning didn't like the dejected expression. His face shouldn't have ever been marred by a frown, but it was there, creasing the corners of his eyes and the edges of his mouth.

"Could we talk?" he asked finally.

Despite the screaming of her brain to refuse, the word "yes" left her lips and he stepped into her room, closing the door behind him. His blonde hair fell in his eyes and he brushed it back. Looking around the room, he settled for leaning against the wall.

"Serah won't let me in the bedroom," Snow said quietly.

Lightning sat up in bed slowly, propping herself on her elbows. "I know, she told me that."

"I don't understand," Snow said.

She was silent. What she wanted to say was on the tip of her tongue but she bit it back, wanting to protect him. _Of course you don't, you don't expect the person you love unconditionally to do what she's done._

"She'll be alright," Lightning said.

"Do you think I'm doing the wrong thing?" Snow asked.

Lightning quietly weighed her answer to the question. He really didn't suspect that anything else had happened, that Serah's brooding came from what he wanted to do with his life, with what he had said to Serah. Lightning wanted to be honest and tell him to do everything he wanted, to be everything he wanted before she shamed him into a regular job to be a regular husband to her sister. She wanted to tell him she had been wrong, but she was too proud.

"No, I don't," Lightning told him. "You have to do what makes you happy."

Snow's chuckle surprised her. "Light, you know that we do a lot more than that, and usually we do what we think will make other people happy...not ourselves."

Lightning didn't like his frankness about what really motivated people. She wanted to think that it was much simpler, but Snow had spent hours thinking about it. Hell, he had been an intimate friend to sacrifice for years. She owed him more than a sad effort to pacify him. Brushing the hair out of her eyes, she saw his gaze follow the motion carefully, some emotion sparking in them.

"Light, it's been years since you've talked to me," Snow said quietly. "I did everything I was supposed to, and I lost...all the friends I ever had because of it."

"We're still here for you," Lightning said softly. "Snow, I never should have...I shouldn't have let myself forget, after I learned it again, that people have to feel they matter."

Snow shook his head. "You wanted me to be good to Serah. It was me, I didn't focus on anything else. I kept building this empty house."

"It has to be hard," Lightning said. "I know you wanted a big family. I thought...that you and Serah would have it. It should have come so easily."

"It did," Snow said. "I had it, with NORA, when we were l'Cie. But I wanted to give Serah the more normal family."

"I wanted that for her too," Lightning agreed. "And now she's built herself into this...box."

Snow sighed and pushed himself away from the wall, closing the distance between them and sinking down beside her on the bed. Lightning stiffened but admonished herself. He was looking for comfort, not trying to push his luck.

"Light, it should have been different," he said.

"You can say that all you like, but it won't change things now," Lightning replied. "No matter what, you can't undo what's been done, you have to live with it. If you want things to be different, you have to make the change. But you know that already, don't you?"

Snow nodded. "I'm not the only one though, that's what always traps me."

Her gut clenched. She certainly knew that, certainly had thought about it when she thought about him. She wanted his affection and love, but she always thought of Serah, and so did he. The sparks between them danced, forbidden and tainted, but she gazed at him, caught in the moment. She wasn't sure when she moved, but she was pretty sure it was her will that broke. Her hand reached out to him and her lips pressed against his, moving softly against his.

Just like that, she felt the thrill run through her, relief overwhelming her panic. Snow responded, deepening their kiss, his hands pulling her close and closer still.

It felt wrong, so wrong, and exactly like what she wanted, all at the same time.

Lightning leaned her forehead against his, her hands braced on his chest. She didn't have to press them against him with any amount of force to keep his assault on her lips at bay, she held him back with her eyes and her shivering arms. This was completely wrong, the opposite of what she had intended. There was no control over her mind as it raced, her heart as it pounded, her breath as it caught in her throat. Yet all of it hardly mattered as his breath tickled her lips in a steady rhythm. How had she ever resisted the urge to hold him so close?

"Lightning?" he whispered.

"Don't," Lightning said, her hand flying to cover his lips with her cold fingers. "Don't say anything. I can barely do this as it is."

"I'm sorry," Snow said, shame making him sit back, putting space back between them.

"I can't take you from Serah," she said softly. The urge to fight surged up in her chest but she pushed it down, letting it be replaced by the instinct to flee. Her muscles tightened in anticipation.

"Lightning."

It took her a moment to realize that she hadn't heard a word that Snow had said. Her eyes finally obeyed her and opened again. There he was still, anger etching his masculine features, wrinkled into his brow uncomfortably.

"Why?" he asked. "Why are you so intent on hurting yourself?"

The laugh escaped her lips before she could choke it down. "I would rather...rather that it be me that feels like this, don't you see?"

"It's not fair to you, Lightning," Snow said.

"It's not fair to her either," she snapped. "It's selfish."

"Do you think so?" he asked. His tone made her look up at him, his eyes capturing hers. "Who's to say what's selfish anymore? None of us are happy."

"You don't mean this," Lightning said. She wanted to be firm but her voice wavered ever so slightly. "You won't be happy if you get this either, because she's going to get hurt."

"Damned if I do," Snow said slowly. "Damned if I don't." He paused for a moment before adding, "I mean this."

Lightning tore her gaze away and stood to leave, but his large hand grabbed her wrist. Suddenly he was turned her back around and his lips descended on hers again, demanding, insistent and desperate. She pushed him away.

"Please, Snow," she begged, shocked at the very words spilling from her lips. "I can't...it has to stop."

"I _mean _this," he said.

It shot through her like a chill and she nearly trembled.

"I can't forget about her," he whispered. "But I mean this, with you, I've always meant it."

Lightning felt her stomach roll. It was too tempting, to step into her sister's shoes and not look back. Was she really this weak? He stroked a hand across her cheek. She wouldn't run, and she wouldn't deny it any longer. She sent a silent apology to Serah, feeling her shame burn for an instant before she forgot, lost in Snow's eyes.

"Snow..."

His name from her lips invigorated him and he kissed her again, tenderly this time. Lightning was done in. Everything she had envied, everything she had craved had fallen into her lap. This type of passion had never been hers, yet she was quickly claiming ownership of it and it felt too wonderful to pull away. His touch was much heavier than Hope's, experienced with years of touching his wife.

She shivered at his lips on her neck and he undid the belt around her middle. She hadn't changed her attire much from her Guardian Corps uniform, liking the familiar feel and freedom of it. The shirt she wore fell open at the neck. She felt him pull away and her mind protested, not wanting him to change his mind.

"What's this?" Snow asked, his thumb hovering over a point on her neck. She bent her head to see it but it was out of her field of vision. "Is this a...hickey?"

Lightning scowled. "What?"

Snow's eyes darkened and he kissed her again, demanding her attention. It was as if seeing the love bite had set his resolve and Lightning wondered if she would be able to regain any semblance of control, over herself or him. She had to do something if she wanted it to stop, but as she thought of Serah, she thought of laying in that bed, the words that haunted her and begged to be said aloud to Snow.

It wasn't her place, and, although, it wasn't her place in his arms either, it was a different kind of wrongness. It was a wrongness that she pushed aside and kissed him back. She let the guilt and the shame fall away as he ran his hands over her shoulders. It was bliss to finally experience Snow beside her, his lips and his hands on her body in the most indecent of ways.

It was different than with other men.

She meant it too.

AN: I know I haven't updated in over a year, so I apologize to anyone who might have been following this story. I stumbled on my drafts for the end of this story and finally decided it was time to at least work on it a bit.


End file.
